Heel



J. BURGER. HEEL.

APPLICATION HLED JULY 24,1919.

1,337,639. tented Apr. 20, 1920.

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BURGER, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

' HEEL.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 1920.

Application filed July 24, 1919. Serial No. 312,997.

invention. relates particularly to high heels of the so-called French type.

These heels are usually constructed ofwood. This material while generally satisfactory is subject to cracking and breaking and particularly at the reduced and aveakened neck or waist portion of the heel.

One of the principal objects ,of this 'invention is to overcome this weakness. This object I have accomplished by reinforcing the heel with dowels driven into the body of the heel from one end thereof. These dowels are preferably constructed of a ma-.

terial having the characteristics of aluminum, which is both light and strong and which is relatively soft and ductile, so as not to'interfere with such fastenings as are ordinarily used for applying the top lift of the heel. These dowels also are us'uallyconstructed' angular or otherwise shaped in cross-section to provide relatively sharp corners or edges and for the sake of greater 7 lightness and strength may-be made in tubular form. Another feature is the provision of the dowels with screw threads to cause them to turn into the body of the heel and thus bind the material together.

The foregoing and otherfeatures of the invention will appear more fully as the specification proceeds.

The drawing illustrates the invention cmbodied in a practical and preferred form,

but I would have it understood that the con struction may be modifiedto suit various requirements without departure from the true spirit and scope-of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

' In said drawing,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the heeltaken substantially on the plane of line 11- of Fig. 2. r I

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line, 2'2 of Fig. 1.

- Fig.3 is a horizontal sectional view on substantially the plane of line 3--3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of one of the dowels and Fig. 5 is a cross-section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4L.

5 designates a heel body of the typical full Louis type, constructed of wood and having the usual reduced and weakened neck or waist portion 6. This reduced neck portion is reinforced, according to the present disclosure by a pair of dowels 7 driven up into the body of the heel "from the lower end thereof, said dowels beingshown as disposed on opposite sides of the transverse center line of the heel (Fig. 2) and as extending well up into the body of the heel, above the weakened neck portion thereof.

These dowels'are preferably constructed -of aluminum or material having similar characteristics and are also preferably made tubular in form and angular or otherwise shaped in cross-section to provide the relatively sharp corners or edges, such as indicated at 8 in Fig. 3.

Also, in the present preferred construction the dowels are formed with an external screw thread, such as indicated at 12. This screw thread causes the dowels to bite into the material ofthe heel and to turn as they are being driven, causing the dowels to thereby bind thematerial together. As a result, in case of breakage of the heel, the parts will be held firmly together and the fracture will remain practically imperceptible.

In practice, usually a pair of holes .of the requisite depth are first bored in' the bottom of the heel block, after the block comes from the turning machine and before the end of the block is squared off. The dowels are then driven into the block, turning into the material as they enter, after i which the lower end of the block is squared- 'off as by means of the usual saw. The dowels, being preferably constructed of a relatively soft material, such as aluminum,

and also being preferably hollow, do not 9 may be applied in the usual way, such as by means of the brads 10 and the usual center screw 11, which, as indicated in F igs.

2 and 3 enters into the bottom of the heel between the dowels. These fastenings are usually driven soas to avoid contact with the dowels, but no harm results if these fastenings should come into engagement with the dowels because of the fact that said dowels are of relatively-soft material and tubularconstruction so as to give and yield more or less to such driven fastenings. As an instance, the screw in case it engages the outside or inside of the dowel may cut its seat directly in the metal of the dowel.

I have found by experience that this invention very materially strengthens the.

wood heel and practically prevents breakage and this without appreciably adding to the weight of the heel or increasing the expense.

tion and relatively sharp corners or. edges also individually resist any such twisting strains. Asimple and inexpensive method of making the dowels is to cut them in suitable lengths from rods or tubing of the proper size -which have been previously formed with screw threads of a suitable pitch. It is possible to thus cut the dowels from continuous lengths of rod or tubing because of the fact that the dowels require no pointing and can be used with square ends, such as disclosed.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a one-piece turned wooden heel, of a pair of dowels driven from the bottom up through the body of the heel and consisting each of a tubular metallic pin of angular cross section, having external screw threads cut in the angular corners thereof and biting into the wood to bind the same together and to lock the pin in the position to which it is driven.

2. The combination with a one-piece wooden heel, of a pair of dowels driven from the bottom up through the body of the heel and consisting each of a metallic pin of tubular structure and of angular cross section to lock the same in the wood.

3. The combination with a one-piece wooden'heel, of a pair of dowels driven from the bottom up through the body of the heel and consisting each of a metallic pin of angular cross section, having external screw threads cut in the angular corners thereof and biting into. the wood to bind the same together and to lock the pin in the position to which it is driven.

4E. The combination with a one-piece wooden heel of a tubular metallic dowel of angular cross section provided with external screw threads and driven from the bottom up through the body of the heel.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23rd day of July, 1919.

JOSEPH BURGER. 

